There are no quick fixes at the MLS Draft—no Peyton Manning, Sidney Crosby or LeBron James to immediately put a foundering franchise back on track.

The college players available in Thursday’s SuperDraft represented only a portion of the league's talent pool, and with only two rounds and 38 total picks the event represented just one step the league’s struggling teams will have to take to return to respectability.

Not surprisingly, the three clubs most desperate for a reversal in fortune approached the draft in Indianapolis in different ways. For the New England Revolution, it was an opportunity to add bodies. For Toronto FC, it was about adding funds for the future and making a commitment to frustrated fans. And for Chivas USA, which had only one selection, the draft offered the club’s new management team the opportunity to cement a return to its roots.

New England, labeled by some as an organization lacking the ambition to compete with the big boys, made a statement the night before the draft when it traded up for the first overall pick.

“This club, this city, has been desperate for some excitement over the past four to five years,” ESPN analyst and Revolution legend Taylor Twellman said Thursday. “I love the move from (coach) Jay Heaps. It’s only his second year. Make a move up the board for the one player who can step in right now.”

That player was Louisville junior Andrew Farrell, a technically gifted, versatile defender who can play centrally or on the right. Most analysts considered him pro ready, and Heaps told ESPN following the pick that “pro ready” is exactly what his team needs after missing the playoffs for three straight seasons.

“He brings a pretty good presence about him. He understands the game as a center back but he’s real versatile,” the coach said. “He’s a player that is going to be ready to compete on Day 1.”

After taking Farrell, the Revs continued to stock their roster. Level with the second-year Montreal Impact for the most picks Thursday (four), Heaps then added Charlotte midfielder/forward Donnie Smith with the 21st pick, Xavier forward Luke Spencer with the 23rd and Indiana goalkeeper Luis Soffner—who was named the top defensive player at last month’s College Cup—with the 36th.

If forwards Jerry Bengtson and Saer Sène (who’s recovering from an ACL tear) can score consistently this season and Colombian playmaker Juan Toja finds his rhythm, the depth and versatility added Thursday may help Heaps’ team turn that long-awaited corner.

“We feel like we’re getting there,” the coach said.

Toronto and its new president/GM, Kevin Payne, scanned the board and, like many clubs, didn’t see a ton of can’t-miss talent. But with questions surrounding designated players Danny Koevermans (knee injury), Torsten Frings (36 years old) and Eric Hassli (apparently disgruntled and interested in leaving) and a new coach on the way (Ryan Nelsen), TFC likely is ready for a roster overhaul. Every dollar will count.

After dealing the top pick to New England on Wednesday, Payne traded down two more times on Thursday. He gave up the fourth pick (to the Vancouver Whitecaps) and then the 10th (to the Seattle Sounders). He told the Toronto Sun that he doubled the club’s allocation money in the process. MLS teams can use those funds to supplement player wages and transfer fees beyond the league’s salary budget.

Toronto kept the third overall pick and chose Ontario native Kyle Bekker. The Boston College midfielder was voted MVP of this week’s MLS Combine in Florida and is a member of Canada’s Under-23 national team.

“Our objective was to trade down so we could acquire more assets and we’re happy to accomplish that and still get the player we wanted,” Payne said of Bekker.

With the 16th pick, acquired from Seattle, TFC nabbed Oregon State forward Emery Welshman, who hails from nearby Mississauga, Ont.

Toronto’s average attendance fell below 20,000 for the first time in 2012 as the Reds missed the playoffs for the sixth straight year. Giving fans a couple more locals to support while Payne, Nelsen and Co. work on spending their new windfall was sound business.

“We won’t know (if we picked the right players) for a year or two, but these were the guys we wanted and we were able to get them and get some money so it was a good day,” Payne told the Sun.

“(The money) will allow us to potentially bring in a small DP-level player, a younger player but one with some real upside,” he added. “We can now potentially bring them onto our team not as a DP any longer because we can buy their contract down with allocation money.”

Chivas USA, finally, has a plan as well. The club that seems to change its identity every year or two now is under the full control of Chivas de Guadalajara owner Jorge Vergara and has hired a Mexican director of soccer operations and a Mexican head coach.

New manager José Luis Sanchéz Solá (aka “El Chelís”) had no interest in pre-draft gamesmanship or maneuvering. He wanted one man with pick No. 2—University of Connecticut playmaker Carlos Alvarez, the Los Angeles-born son of a former Chivas de Guadalajara player. Alvarez was the Big East Midfielder of the Year in 2012 and has been invited to play with the U.S. and Mexican Under-20 teams.

“We need to win games because we have won very little and we need to bring Mexican players, Chivas (de Guadalajara) players, make them believe (in Chivas USA) and bring that, that in the last eight, nine years, Chivas USA has not been able to do,” Chelís said after taking the job. “The team does not have an identity, and up until today, has been flavorless and that’s what motivated me to accept (the job).”

Said Alvarez, “I’m happy to come back home and be with my family and happy to represent this jersey. It’s something I’m proud of. … I know how big this organization is going back to Chivas de Guadalajara. We need to build that winning mentality and hopefully with the help of Chelís and the philosophy that he has and the players that are going to represent the jersey we can be a hundred percent there.”

With Alvarez, Chivas USA is on its way to establishing those ties and identity. In fact, all three underachieving teams appear to have a direction heading into 2013.